


The Lake

by Evilsnowswan



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alex Danvers & Kara Danvers Sibling Feels, Day At The Beach, F/F, Lena is in this so, Light Angst, Mama Bear Alex, Minor Nia Nal, SuperCorp, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:28:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24979189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evilsnowswan/pseuds/Evilsnowswan
Summary: After everything is said and done and Lex is finally defeated, Kara invites Lena to Sand Point Lake in Midvale. Out of all the places on earth she could be, a lake in the middle of nowhere doesn’t even make Lena’s Top 100, but it’s Kara who’s asking, so does she even have a choice? A.k.a. a fluffy Supercorp beach day.
Relationships: Alex Danvers/Kelly Olsen, Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 12
Kudos: 162





	1. One (Lena)

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter One is POV Lena. Chapter Two POV Kara. They're both gay and dumb.

_Come to the lake with us, Lena? Please?_

She had said yes. Not without hesitation or trepidation, but here she was: sunhat, sunglasses, spanking new two-piece, with her toes in the soft sand.

Swallowing back a sigh, Lena discreetly adjusted her bikini top. She had half hoped her assistant wouldn’t find something suitable—short notice, over lunch—for her to wear to this little outing, giving her an out. However, in something akin to a small miracle, Jess had returned a mere 30 minutes later with five options for Lena to choose from, stripping her of all excuses as she stripped down to her underwear in her office, cussing under her breath.

“Kara, could you—”

“Comin’! Already on it!”

The beach was only a short distance from the car park, and Lena watched from behind the safety of her big round sunglasses, as Kara hurried back to give her sister a hand with the cooler. Effortlessly, they lugged the huge blue thing between them, which—knowing _both_ Kara and Alex—had to be filled with enough food to feed a small village. The two sisters led the way with Kelly not far behind. Nia half walked, half skipped alongside Kelly, little Eli squealing and laughing in her arms, the two of them clearly too flooded with excitement at the prospect of a beach day to contain any of it.

As a soft smile tugged at her lips, something else was tugging at her heart too, and Lena hastened to shove it back into the same box it had come from, mentally taping it and kicking it to the back of her mind. Hugging herself with one arm, gripping her left elbow tight, her nails dug into her skin as she lifted her chin and inhaled.

Of all the places in the world, how had she ended up here? At a fucking _lake_ with her former best friend turned superhero, family and friends.

Her eyes swept over the gravel parking lot, turned skyward, then crashed in the sand at her feet. The sky and the water were intensely blue, the sandy beach was clean and white and deserted. Except for them, there wasn’t another soul in sight. Lena hadn’t expected a beach like this, not in a sleepy town like Midvale. It reminded her more of the one’s she’d seen in National Geographic or glossy travel brochures perhaps—except without the sprawl. Here the beach was nature, not real estate.

“Hello, Lena,” Alex let go of the cooler handle with a small grunt and shaded her eyes against the afternoon sun, as she stood beside Lena. Kelly smiled and waved hello as well, before sprinting after Eli in his sun suit, who was toddling straight for the water as fast as his chubby legs would allow, a blue-and-green sun hat clutched in her hand.

Alex chuckled, knuckles pressed to her mouth for a moment before she smiled and shook her head. 

“Hello.” Lena looked directly into the sun. The heat felt almost too intense on her face.

“This is going to be GREAT!” Kara’s _outdoor_ voice hitting her neck nearly had Lena flinch hard enough for it to be noticeable, and she clenched her jaw, letting out a jittery breath, before she turned to her with a smile. Kara rambled on about the snacks they had brought, the weather, and the breathtaking view, her ponytail swinging merrily as she set up shop in the sand.

Lena simply smiled and nodded, took off her hat and pushed her sunglasses up on her head before handing over towels, bags, and equipment as requested. All around them, people were busy spreading blankets and towels, setting up tables and chairs, and even putting up a small tent. Lena blinked as it popped up of its own accord and stood—shell-shaped and ready to shelter at least two adults and a small child from the sun. _Oh_. Ingenious.

“Wait—”

She paused, the rolled-up towel she was holding pressed to her middle.

Kara frowned, glancing at the sky, then back at Lena. The familiar crinkle appeared between her eyes and Lena felt something cool twist and coil in her belly.

It had been… months. Everything was _fine_. Fine between them now. Kara was Supergirl. Supergirl and she had worked together to stop the megalomaniac that was her brother from bringing about the apocalypse yet again. All was well. Except, that was the thing, wasn’t it? She’d _worked_ with _Supergirl_ , but her friendship with Kara…

“Lena?”

She looked up to find Kara holding onto the pole of a large green-and-orange umbrella, firmly pushing and twisting it deep into the ground. A feat, Lena was fairly certain, not humanly possible.

Even as her brain made the connection and deduced that her help wasn’t needed, her body had already taken a step forward and let the towel drop, so she could steady the pole as Kara fumbled to open the umbrella, the tip of her tongue peeking out from between her teeth.

“There should be a cord somewhere…” She mumbled, ducking her head beneath the sturdy material and reappearing a moment later, gesturing empty-handed. “There’s a little… _thing_ attached to it,” she said, blushing. “At the end. It goes through one of these.” She indicated small holes along the pole, and Lena nodded. _Yes, easy_.

“Just one sec…” Kara vanished in between the folds of the umbrella again, the massive thing nearly swallowing her whole, leaving only her calves and bare feet visible.

Lena had to bite her tongue not to laugh.

“Aha!” Triumphant, Kara held up the cord. Her face was flushed and her hair wild, sticking out on the back of her head from the static.

One of Lena’s hands flew to her mouth, but didn’t make it there in time.

Letting her hair down and brushing her fingers through it, Kara shot her an indignant look, which held no true outrage and immediately crumpled into a laugh of her own. “Not funny, _Miss Luthor_.” She stuck out her tongue playfully and Lena copied her, albeit having to wrangle her upbringing and Luthor-etiquette for the more _human_ reaction first. Easygoing and playful didn’t come naturally to her and felt foreign on her features. Even as she joined in laughing, the feeling lingered like cheap perfume.

“Some would beg to differ… _Miss Danvers_.” She hadn’t meant for her voice to drop like that. And maybe it hadn’t? Not by much anyway, but the way Kara stopped in her tracks and cocked her head to one side contemplating her, one hand sneaking up to cover her heart—well, maybe it had.

Kara’s front teeth came down on her bottom lip and she sucked in half a smile.

Lena’s own mouth had gone dry. She pressed her lips together to dispel the feeling, her heart doing a funny nervous hop-skip in her chest as she stumbled about her thoughts, rooting around for something… _else_ to say. She only just stopped herself from uselessly opening her mouth a few times— _People don’t gape open-mouthed. That’s for primates at the zoo, Lena._ —and found herself mirroring Kara once again instead, head tilting to make room for her hand to reach her neck and rub it.

“I-um,” Kara fiddled with the cord, tugged a little. The umbrella fluttered like a strange tropical bird. “Maybe-we shouldn’t be out in the sun. It’s...” Kara trailed off, ducking her head in a smile.

She had freckles—splashes of freckles fanning out across her cheeks. Lena was so distracted by them that she almost didn't duck in time when Kara opened the umbrella and it finally stood, tall and wide, casting them in shadow.

“Oh... _gosh_. Sorry!”

“And here I thought, we were past quarterly attempts on my life,” Lena deadpanned, shooting Kara a little smile so she’d take it as the joke it was meant to be.

Kara looked scandalized for a second, then pensive. “Hmm-hmm. It’s… it has been _quiet_ , hasn’t it?” Lena could only try and guess at what she was thinking—Kara-thoughts or Super-thoughts?—but, either way, Kara’s mind seemed to be going a thousand miles a minute, turning her smile upside down and drawing her eyebrows together.

“That’s...a good thing, though, isn’t it?” Hands clasped, Lena fidgeted nervously, scolding herself in her head. Too soon. “Everyone safe and happy. That’s good, right?”

Kara’s gaze swept the beach, lingering on her sister setting up the grill and Kelly settling back on her lounger with a book while Nia and Eli enthusiastically dug a hole in the sand nearby, an array of colorful beach toys scattered about them. “Yeah,” she said softly, eyes settling on Lena’s face and searching it with a sudden intensity that made Lena flush. “They _are_ okay, aren’t they?”

Maybe, one day, after several… _bottles_ of wine, she’d tell her about the dead brother she didn’t want to miss, the mothers she had lost, the late nights spent in her office to fill the deafening silence with paperwork and overseas phone calls. Maybe. One day. Until then, _okay_ would have to do. She was okay, they were okay.

“Yes,” Lena said.

When Kara smiled in response, she smiled with her whole face; the smile curving her lips and reaching to touch her eyes like a cat stretching out in a patch of sunlight, setting the watery blue ablaze.

“Yes,” Lena said again, with feeling. Even in the shade, the air _did_ feel a little too hot. She shouldn’t have taken off her hat. “They are okay.”

Eyes still smiling, Kara nodded at the blanket and towels at their feet. “Sit first or swim first?”

Lena swallowed hard. “Sit, definitely sit.”

So they sat, Lena ditching the reports at the bottom of her bag for the novel she had brought and Kara flopping over onto her belly to thumb through a copy of _National Girl_ , letting out a squeal of delight at the sight of the extra glued to the back.

Lena raised a brow at the high-pitched sound and watched as Kara tore open the packaging and admired the woven bracelets on her palm. Two identical pink-and-white bracelets with charms worked into them.

“Friendship bracelets,” Kara said, beaming. “Twin bracelets. Look, Lena!”

“They’re… nice?” Lena said, confused by the over-enthusiastic reaction the cheap accessories had elicited from Kara. She looked at the bracelets again, eyes following the pattern to the silver infinity charms, one in each of them.

Kara sat up on her heels and looked at her expectantly, scooting closer. “Um, it’s probably a little silly, but…” she laughed, looking at her hands and back at Lena. “Would you-I mean, I know, it’s–but- but would you maybe want to…?”

She looked down, hanging her head, her chest heaving, and it was such an endearing picture, Lena dropped her book into her lap and almost reached out to tip her chin back up.

“You-you don’t have to… if you don’t want—?” When Kara looked at her again, the deep red was undeniable in her cheeks and her pink lip was once again trapped between her relentless teeth. She worried it, glancing at the lake quickly, and the movement of her neck drew Lena’s eyes to places they had no business being, noting the lovely lush pinks and reds covering Kara’s chest, standing out most marvellously against her ultramarine bathing suit.

“I-I’d love to?” As soon as the words had left her, Lena squeezed her eyes shut, scrunching up her nose and feeling herself blush most ungraciously too, helpless heat erupting in her cheeks and travelling down like a landslide.

“So, sh-should I?”

Kara waited, her mouth falling open as Lena held out her left arm. She closed it again to smile at her—shyly, tentatively—her deep blush spreading over her cheeks and temples, and the after-image of sunlight reflecting off water, the visual burn-in, glistened bright in her eyes.

As Kara leaned over to tie the bracelet on Lena, her hair fell over her shoulder and into her face, and she blew out a breath that hit Lena’s wrist unprepared, firing up something that had been cold and long forgotten inside of her. Lena squirmed, but didn’t draw back, leaning into the sensation instead of away from it.

“There. All done!” Kara took her hand, lacing their fingers together, and held it up, so the bracelet freshly adorning her arm would be properly admired.

“Thank you,...Kara.”

Letting go, Lena laughed, a little breathless, and, with trembling fingers, picked up the other bracelet from Kara’s lap to reciprocate.

Kara immediately sat up, pulling back her shoulders, and kept unnaturally still for Lena as she held out her own arm.

Lena sucked in her bottom lip, willing her fingers to still long enough to tie the knot.

Her heart fluttering in her throat like a trapped hummingbird, she held onto the simple string a moment longer than strictly necessary, unable to look at Kara’s face or meet her eyes just yet. Instead, her gaze stopped and lingered on Kara’s chest rising and falling, regularly but rapidly.

Her one-piece bathing suit left her smooth, sun-kissed shoulders bare—or they would have been, if it hadn’t been for the straps of the halter-neck tied into a bow behind her neck. A bow that was, slowly but surely, coming undone right before Lena’s eyes, a gentle tan line visible where the fabric of the suit wasn’t quite pulled as tight anymore.

Dumbstruck, Lena’s hammering heart screeched to a halt, missing a beat, before it jumped out of her chest and ran screaming. Inhaling sandy heat, Lena held her breath as she reached out, unthinking, and, tongue pressed to the roof of her mouth, managed to untie and retie the bow quickly, rocking back on her heels when she was done.

“Tha-thanks,” Kara spluttered.

Nodding, Lena stared at her hands in her lap. They were kneeling in the sand, so close now that their knees touched and, when she lifted her gaze by maybe a fraction, Lena could see Kara’s hands fidgeting with the bracelet on her arm, turning it around and around.

As the little silver charm caught the light, Lena’s eyes were drawn to the symbol, and she felt a wave of warmth wash over her that had nothing to do with either the heatwave or the still lake.

 _I gcónaí_ , she thought, taking herself by surprise. _I gcónaí_. Always.

“Beautiful…” Kara breathed, and Lena’s head snapped up. “They… they are pretty, the bracelets?”

Objectively speaking? No, absolutely not. They were what her mother would have referred to as ‘ _hideous nonsense_ ’ and promptly cut off her with the sharp scissors. However, in Lena’s eyes the little trinkets grew more precious and more perfect with every second she felt the surprisingly soft string against her skin.

“You think so?” Smirking, Lena raised her chin, giving Kara a challenging look. Why did she stumble over her words all the time? Supergirl never did; oh, but Kara? Kara barely made it through a complete sentence on a good day. She’d almost forgotten about that. It was adorable. 

“Uh-huh.” Kara’s eyes were wide and earnest. “It… it looks good on you.”

The compliment, silly and untrue as it might be—because the pink-and-white looked much nicer against Kara’s tanned skin than her own—the compliment made Lena’s heart glow, and it probably showed on her face—for Kara’s smile grew instantly and incessantly wider.

Lena watched Kara relax into it and licked her lips, bracing herself for the inevitable hug that had to be coming any minute now. How long had it been? Kara was a hugger, but they hadn’t hugged in… forever? Well, in a really, _really_ long time, anyway.

As Kara’s eyes locked on hers, Lena suddenly wasn’t so sure she was ready for it.

“Hey, ladies!” Nia’s voice made them both jump. She’d materialized by their towels, somehow snuck up on them without either of them taking notice, and was now hovering at a few steps distance, mindful not to get sand all over their things. What she lacked in physical proximity, however, she made up in volume. “We’re going in. You two coming?” She grinned at them. “Eli says you ‘ave to.”

“Sure.” Kara laughed, turning to Lena. “Lena?”

They looked at her expectantly and Lena’s whole body tensed. Wavering, she gazed at the water. The lake suddenly seemed much bigger and rougher, the less-than-inviting blue-green much too cold for her heated skin, and she shook her head and shot Kara an apologetic smile. She seemed very eager to get going, but held back, and it made a sticky guilty feeling crawl down Lena’s spine. 

“Pleeeease? Come on!” Nia whined, widening her stance with her hands on her hips.

Kara looked at Lena. Hesitated.

“You go,” Lena waved her on, picking up her book with her free hand. “I’m good here.” Her heart stuttered in her chest, thudding against her ribcage, rattling the bars. “Really. It’s fine. I still need to finish the chapter anyway.” She held up the book for emphasis.

“You sure?” Kara’s head was tilted, her eyes quizzical and probing, her concern prickling on Lena’s face.

“Yes,” Lena said, a little too quickly and a little too enthusiastically, attempting to gloss over it with a brilliant smile. “You go have fun!”

Kara still didn’t move and, by now, Nia had thrown decorum to the wind and sat down on one end of Lena’s towel, giving her puppy eyes over one shoulder. It would have been cute, for Nia was almost as cute as Kara when she pouted like this, and it almost worked on Lena too, for she risked another uneasy glance at the lake. However, as it was, Nia’s persistence only made her draw up her shoulders at the—seemingly inevitable—prospect of _a swim_ , shuddering in spite of herself, but masking it as brushing sand off her arm.

“Luthor, I’m not taking no for an answer!” Nia warned, deepening her pout. She had French-braided her hair down each side; her yellow halter-neck bikini had white polka dots splattered all over it and the frilly bottoms matched, and she looked every bit the little sister Lena had so longingly wished for when she was younger. Oh, the irony.

“Children, lay off and let the adults enjoy their peace!” Alex Danvers had abandoned her perch by the cooler and now crossed over to where they sat, taking great care to stay in the shade and on towels and blankets at all times; swearing loud, child-friendly nonsense, when she accidentally stepped on the hot sand, breaking into a little funny sprint to get under their umbrella.

“Fu-fudge, that’s hot,” she muttered as she came to a stop next to them; then shot an equally heated glance at Kara. “But _someone_ took the liberty of leaving _my_ shoes at home.”

Kara ducked her head, but rounded on her sister all the same. “They were _Birkenstocks_ , Alex. I thought they were Eliza’s!”

“Are you accusing me of wearing _mom-shoes_ , Kara? For I _am_ and I _would_ , if it weren’t for _you_. Thank you very much.” Her hands found her hips and only now did Lena notice the beer cans she was holding in each of them. No, judging by the brand logo, they had to be ginger ale. Too bad, she’d given an arm and a leg for a cold beer, or even better: a nice whisky sour on the rocks, right about now.

Kara stuck out her tongue, but Alex didn’t take the bait, crossing her arms over her chest as best she could with her cargo in hand. “Now, get going both of you, and leave the grown-ups to enjoy a cool drink in the shade, why don’t you.”

Nia stood at once, brushing sand off her butt sheepishly, but Kara just opened her mouth, giving every impression of wanting to argue. A short, but entirely silent, deadly staring match ensued, which Kara lost, and with a quick glance at Lena, Kara got up too, her hand brushing Lena’s leg as she got to her feet.

“Fine,” she huffed.

“Be boring then,” Nia teased and dashed for the water before Alex could turn her wrath on her, kicking up sand as she went, a laughing Kara hot on her heels.

Lena and Alex looked at each other for a moment. Alex didn’t ask and Lena didn’t talk. She simply took the proffered can and nodded her thanks, pressing the cool drink against her leg as she hugged her knees tightly to her chest, her book lying forgotten in the sand.

“Kids,” Alex muttered more to herself, opening her can with a pop and taking a long drink.

Setting her ginger ale down in the cool sand, she flopped down on Kara’s towel and lay on her back with her eyes closed, hands behind her head.

Lena watched as Kara, Nia, and Eli splashed about in the shallow water closer to the waterline, with Kelly standing guard for a bit, before she plucked her little boy from the water, adjusted his floaties, put him on her shoulders, and waded in deeper slowly, followed by Nia and Kara, who, apparently, had a blast splashing and dunking each other under the water.

Lena inhaled sharply and looked away, rubbing her arms. She heard Kara shriek and laugh, followed by a loud splash, and forced herself to look, because not looking was worse.

Kelly and Eli were still in the water, but Kara and Nia had taken to climbing the jagged cliffs that jutted out and dropped into the lake, and—Lena held her breath, panic rising within her— _diving_ off them at murderous velocity. Watching Kara fly over the edge with a jubilant whoop—even while knowing she could _literally_ fly and was practically indestructible—Lena’s heart clenched painfully. She could barely force air into her lungs until Kara’s head broke the surface again and the soft breeze carried her booming laughter all the way back to Lena’s ringing ears.

Alex raised up and squinted against the sun just in time to see Kara and Nia cliff-dive into the water together, hitting the surface dangerously close to the rocks.

“Be careful!” she called out to them, now watching her wife, son, and sister with the intensity of a lifeguard on duty. “Hey, Kara! Take it down a notch!”

Lena felt dizzy and light-headed from the lack of oxygen in her lungs and brain, fingers digging into her arm hard enough to possibly leave a mark. “They have lost their freaking minds,” she said, her voice coming out strained and the words strangely clipped.

She could feel Alex watching her, but didn’t dare tear her gaze away from Kara again.

“No, they haven’t,” Alex corrected calmly. “My sister was _born_ brainlessly reckless.” She paused for a long swig from her can. “Can’t speak for Nia Nal, though. Kara’s probably rubbing off on her.”

“So you don’t share Kara’s sense of... _adventure_?”

Alex laughed dryly. “Let’s just say, Kara’s and my idea of a... good time differs greatly on occasion.”

Lena made a non-committal sound, her stomach in knots over yet another witnessed dive with breakneck abandon. 

Alex touched her arm, making Lena flinch, but she had the grace not to comment on it. “Come on, Lena, let’s make some PBJs. They’re going to be _ravenous_ when they’re done.”

Lena didn’t move.

“Peanut-butter-and-jelly on soft white bread, Miss Luthor, I take it you’re familiar with the concept?”

Before Lena’s mind had fully registered what was happening, she’d been pulled to her feet, taken by the hand, and led over to the massive cooler—which did indeed hold so much more than just peanut butter and jelly.

“Strawberry or Raspberry?” Lena held up both jars, not knowing which Kara liked better and unable to make up her mind on the matter.

“Both,” Alex laughed. “With my sister, it’s always both. Or option d, all of the above, preferably all at once or—wherever that’s impossible or very, very gross—in very close succession.”

“Noted.” Lena shook her head, but proceeded to open both jars anyway. 

Alex rested her elbow on the edge of the cooler, grinning up at her. “There’s a lot you don’t know… _yet_.” She poked a finger at the bracelet on Lena’s arm and Lena felt herself blush furiously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... Thoughts? :)  
> Chapter Two will be up shortly!


	2. Two (Kara)

Jumping was almost like flying and the cool water felt wonderful on her hot skin. Floating on her back, feeling wonderfully weightless, Kara looked up at the blue sky.

Oh, how she loved swimming. Always had. Back when Eliza had taken her to the pool two times a week to learn properly—after the first time and, at least, for the next ten times after that, minimum—she had told her that she wanted to _live_ there and meant it. When she dove under, the world went blissfully quiet and blurry, giving her ears and eyes a much needed reprieve—before she had to come back up for air, because even _Supergirl_ couldn't breathe underwater.

She could hold her breath though. Pretty long too. Longer than Alex, anyway.

The only damper on her mood was that Lena had stayed behind on the beach, choosing not to go for a swim with them. Kara knew not to pry or push—that did get you nowhere with Lena—but she couldn’t understand how Lena could stay behind and _read a book_ when there was something as _magnificent_ as this lake right in front of her.

Then again, there were a lot of things she _still_ didn’t understand about Lena. Not fully, anyway. But Lena had come back; back to the good side, the right side, the only side; back to her. She had made the right choice when it counted and come through at each and every turn ever since. Not just for Supergirl, but for all the Superfriends. Hadn’t it been for Lena, Eli’s adoption might have fallen through and Kara didn’t even want to think about what that would have done to Alex.

So, there were a lot of things she was grateful to Lena for too.

And the rest?—They’d work it out eventually.

Eliza always said, good things took time and, if you wanted something to be good, you had to put in the time, the effort, and the love. Just lots and lots of love.

The important thing was that Lena was her friend again. And that she had come today.

“Again?” Nia’s head popped up next to her, and Kara laughed. “Or do you surrender, Supergirl?”

“Never!” Kara kicked her legs and dove, somersaulting underwater, so she was the right way up again. “I don't bend, I don't break, and I don’t decline a challenge!”

Before she could make good on her word, though, there was an ear-piercingly loud whistle from the beach that startled them both. _Alex_.

“Ugh! A clean cut right through your eardrums. Every. Time.” Kara covered her left ear with one hand while waving with the other, so Alex wouldn’t whistle again. “I mean, she knows I have super-hearing, and she still does… THAT!” She complained as she and Nia paddled for the shore. “It’s like she enjoys torturing me.”

When they reached the beach, Alex was waiting for her, feet in the wet sand, hands on hips, and eyebrows raised. “Finally, Kara!” she huffed, giving her a look. “Don’t think I wouldn’t have gotten in there to get you, because I would have.”

Nia chose that moment to quietly duck out of the conversation and sprint for her towel. _Traitor_.

“I _heard_ you whistle, Alex.” Kara whipped wet hair out of her eyes, pushing it over her shoulder. “We came right in.”

“Hmph. I called you. _Twice_ ,” her sister said. “Maybe you need to get your _super_ -ears checked. Now, c’mon, Kara, people are hungry and the cooler needs some—gentle!—touching-up.” Alex wrapped a beach towel around her shoulders like a cape, then guided her towards the grill and the little group huddled in the shade behind it, a firm warm hand on her back. “Argh, Kara! I know you can’t physically turn blue or anything, but you’re practically _gelid_.”

Tying Alex’s towel around her neck, Kara sniggered.

She tended to the cooler first, then grabbed the apron—‘ _Will cook for kisses_ ’ embroidered on it in swirly lettering—from the beach chair and tied it around her waist.

Humming along to the tinny song on the portable radio, she fired up the grill with her heat vision as Kelly and Alex brought over rubbed steaks, sausages, ears of corn, and buns and set everything on the folding table by the grill.

“I hope everybody brought their appetites!”

Of course, she could have just heated up their food instead, but where was the fun in that? The grill always meant hot dogs, burgers, and steaks. It was a perfect late afternoon for that. Eliza had also forced salad and veggies on them. And there was enough potatoes au gratin left over from when Kelly had made them yesterday to make a nice side dish. Kelly, just like Eliza, always made extra. Somewhere in the cooler, too, were also a nice peach cobbler and whipped cream, Kara knew, but Alex would keep her eagle eye on that—at least until she had made sure there was something green in both Eli and Kara first.

It had taken her more than a few tries over the years, but Kara now knew how to get the grill to the perfect temperature quickly—without setting the charcoal _or_ the meat ablaze—and she was mighty proud of that.

Satisfied with today’s work, she rubbed her hands, meaning to call out to Alex for the burger patties and more plates, but when she caught sight of Lena stepping out from the shade into bright sunlight, carefully balancing two platters on her arm like a waitress, the word ‘ _Ready!_ ’ collided with her heart on the way out, and both got stuck in her throat.

Lena smiled a little self-consciously as she approached, but was swinging her hips regardless—or perhaps that was just how she _walked_? Normally?—Kara had never seen her walk in a bikini before, or do _anything else_ in a bikini, so how was she supposed to know what the regular amount of hip-swinging was. For Lena. In a bikini.

“Alex said, you were probably ready for these now?” Lena held out both platters—one carrying beef patties, the other… peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches.

Kara could have kissed her. Kissed her _on the cheek._

She was starving. As if to confirm, her stomach gave a loud rumble, and she felt herself blush as Lena laughed.

“Spot on, huh?”

“Perfect timing,” Kara conceded, not meeting Lena’s eyes and instead taking the patty-platter from her to set it down on the folding table, next to the sausages and steaks. She then grabbed three sandwiches, stacking them on top of each other, and took a healthy bite, mumbling around a mighty mouthful of sticky, sweet, and soft, as she asked, “D’you wanna ‘elp?” 

“Pardon?”

Kara swallowed. “You could help, if you like?” Sandwiches in hand, she gestured to the grill, then off to where the rest of the equipment sat. Stuff she didn’t need. Like gloves. “There must be another apron back with—”

Biting her lip, Lena stepped closer, but shook her head. “Wouldn’t want to ruin everyone’s dinner,” she laughed, “but I’ll watch _you_ work, if you don’t mind showing me how it’s done.”

Her voice was deep and rich, like fresh maple syrup with a heavy molasses flavor that you didn’t get with even the darkest store-bought syrups, and it seeped into Kara’s bones with a treacherous warmth.

“Uh,... Uh-huh, sure, I mean… yeah. Absolutely!”

Kara crammed the rest of her sandwiches into her mouth and wiped her hands on her apron, eager to give them something else to do. When she picked up the patty-platter, Lena stepped even closer, better to see what she was doing.

“So, first, we sprinkle garlic and onion salt on the patties,” Kara explained, as she worked, her heart beating fast and her hands feeling cold and clammy, despite their proximity to the heat. “Then a few splashes of Eliza’s special sauce.” The meat was still raw, yet, normally, her mouth would already be watering at this stage. Watching the sauce sizzle, Kara was, however, positively parched and felt a little nauseous. “Just don’t ask me what’s in it. Eliza would _kill_ me.”

“Then I won’t ask,” Lena said, watching intently over Kara’s shoulder, her breath tickling Kara’s skin. “But it smells positively _divine_.”

_Oh, Rao_. Kara had to use all her remaining willpower not to botch the task at hand and to keep her focus on the food in front of her. “N-never press down on the burger,” she said. “You’ll squeeze all the juices out.”

“And we wouldn’t want that, would we?”

“No-no… we… wouldn’t. Erm, and only flip the patties once—like, about three minutes, three and a half tops, on each side.” Lena leaned into her shoulder from behind and Kara almost dropped the patty she was turning. “And, and finally, we toast and butter the buns,” she finished a little breathlessly, glancing around for the aforementioned items.

“Mmmm,” Lena hummed. It vibrated through Kara’s shoulder blades and sank right into her bloodstream, making it hum at the very same frequency. “Buttering buns… I can do that.”

She stepped away and Kara automatically took a step back, too, to compensate for the dwindling attention and closeness.

Lena laughed, swooped in and gave Kara a peck on the cheek, pointing to her apron with the dinner knife in her hand. “Thank you, Kara.”

_Oof._

She’d missed this.

She’d missed the easy laughs, comfortable closeness; the hugs.

She’d missed Lena.

When the burgers and buns were ready, Kara set a few aside on the now empty sandwich platter and Lena brought the other platter of food back into the shade, where she was greeted with hoots and hollers, and cutlery banged on camping tables.

The gang was hungry.

Kara watched her go, eyes drawn to the halter tie around her neck, her lower back, and butt. Dark green was a good color on her and the high-waisted bottoms—well, if anyone could pull those off, it was Lena.

“Tell them—tell them to let the burgers rest for a minute,” she called after her. “So the juices can redistribute into the meat!”

Her _explanation_ was met with a _roar_ of laughter from the table. Even Lena threw her head back, laughing. The sound made something in Kara soar with delight, even as part of her didn’t exactly appreciate being the butt of a joke she hadn’t meant to tell and didn’t quite get.

“Oh, hardy-har-har,” she hollered at all of them, rolling her eyes. “I’ll keep the hot dogs for myself then.”

“Over my dead body you will, Kara Danvers!” Alex shot back, and everyone laughed again. “Come here and get some salad while it’s fresh.”

Kara made a face. _Salad_. Why would she eat _leaves_ and _cold_ veggies, when she could fill up on warm bread and seasoned meat, and be rounding off her dinner with delicious dessert instead? She shook her head. Humans were so _weird_ sometimes.

“Kara! I know you can hear me,” Alex warned, and Kara _could_ , she just actively chose to ignore her big sister and focused her attention on the sausages and steaks, throwing them on the grill with a flourish. They wouldn’t cook themselves, would they. _Salad_ could wait.

When she was done with the meat and the corn, and everything sat, piping hot, on plates and buns, she simply lifted the entire folding table and carried it over to where everyone sat—laughing, eating, and chatting happily.

Feeling a deep fondness for everyone assembled around the largest camping table in her family’s possession, Kara sank down on the only remaining empty chair—opposite Lena—and looked around at them all for a moment, before digging in herself.

She felt so happy, so _elated_ , her heart brimming with joy, she even let Lena feed her some salad from her own fork across the table—everyone laughing and cracking jokes—as Kelly was doing the same with little Eli sitting on her lap, at the other end of the table.

“Cobbler! Cobbler! Cobbler!” Kara chanted when everyone was done with their main course _and_ salad. “Peach cobbler and cream!”

“Cobb’er, cobb’er, cobb’er!” Eli parroted, slapping his little hands flat on the table. Alex let out a groan and Kelly laughed leniently, adjusting Eli’s bib and ruffling his curls. Eli stopped to look up at her, rubbing his face and smearing ketchup all over it. “...Cobb’er? Mama?”

“Cobb- _l-_ er,” Kelly corrected, a wipe always at the ready. “Peach cobbler. With whipped cream. Yum.” She tugged his shirt down and rolled up the sleeves a little more, wiping his hands as she went.

“Yum!” Eli said, slapping the table for emphasis, then rubbed his small belly.

“Yeah, Eli, my little man,” Kara said, grinning. “ _Super_ yum.”

Eli gazed at her for a moment, then turned to his other mother. “Cobb’er, Mommy. Super yum!” He looked at Alex with the intensity of a little bird expecting to be fed—and to be fed the good stuff. _Immediately_.

Kara snorted, hiding her face behind her hands as Alex’s murderous glare swung her way. _Whoops_.

Laughter filled the warm air once more.

“Alright, alright,” Alex said, raising her hands in defeat and pushing her chair back. “A round of _super_ -dessert coming right up. Kara? A hand?”

Alex’s cobbler had come out of the oven looking as good as any cobbler on the cover of a fancy food magazine. Out of the cooler, Kara turned her heat vision on it for only a second—and the smell was an amazing blend of spices and sweet. It smelled just the way late summer should smell.

“Who’s ready for peach cobbler?” 

Anticipation making her smile, she assembled dessert dishes and spoons, some mismatched napkins, and carried the cobbler and napkins over to the table. Alex followed with the dishes and utensils, and proceeded to fill their dishes, one by one, before taking her seat.

Kara pouted. “Did you forget the whipped cream?”

Alex raised an eyebrow at her. “You know something, Alex,” she said to herself out loud, “you _really_ can bake.”

“That cobbler looks delicious.” Lena said quickly but quietly, ducking her head as Alex shot her a pleased smile.

“Really, dear,” Kelly said, stopping Eli from grabbing a handful of warm cobbler and shoving it into his mouth. She handed him his dinosaur spoon. “You outdid yourself. That’s quite a cobbler you made.”

“Yeah, yeah. It’s awesome, you’re awesome.” Exasperated, Kara got to her feet again, dashed back to the cooler and returned to the table a split second later—in a whoosh that sent everyone’s napkins flying, carrying the stainless mixing bowl with fresh fluffy whipped cream and a box of vanilla ice cream tucked under her arm.

“Now, who wants whipped cream, who wants ice cream, and who wants both?”

Nia’s hands shot in the air for both, Lena politely requested ‘ _just a little bit of whipped cream, please. Thank you, Kara_.’ (Kara ignored the modest quantifier and served a _super_ -good dollop), Alex decided on ice cream, Kelly picked both, and Eli asked for whipped cream _on_ his ice cream and promptly began spooning it up, ignoring his cobbler altogether and squishing it as he went.

“What do we say?” Alex prompted and Eli looked up, whipped cream everywhere. He frowned, then his face split into a wide smile. 

“P’ease?”

“Please and…?”

“P’ease and thank you!”

Kara laughed. “You’re very welcome, Eli!” She spooned liberal helpings of both ice cream and whipped cream on her own cobbler and sat back down, grinning at Lena, who seemed to be scanning her dessert for its every compound with her narrowed eyes, head tilted.

“This is my favorite,” Kara supplied. “It’s not _fancy_ or anything,” she said, blushing a little as Lena lifted her inquisitive gaze and hefted it on her. “All you need is fresh fruit and pantry staples, but it’s _amazing!_...And it’s best with whipped cream _and_ ice cream.”

Kara dug in, taking care to get some cobbler, ice cream, _and_ whipped cream on her spoon, and Lena copied her, her spoonful much more reasonable. Kara watched as her green eyes lit up, savoring the warmth with the cool and creamy contrast on her own tongue, and grinned.

“You like it, Lena?”

Lena was sitting _very_ straight in her chair and only eating ridiculously small bites at a time, but the pink in her cheeks and badly concealed smile gave her away.

“The secret is in the cinnamon,” Kara said after another big spoonful. “You wouldn’t think peaches and cinnamon went well together, but they _do_.”

Lena laughed, put her spoon down, and reached for the napkin tucked under her dish, dabbing at the corners of her smile, before she nodded. “It’s wonderful, Kara.” She cleared her throat. “Can you believe I’ve never tried it before? Because I can’t. It’s... _delicious_.” She raised an eyebrow and gestured with her hands, light reflecting off her bracelet.

Kara smiled broadly, listening to Lena listing crazy elaborate desserts she had had at fancy restaurants before and _hated_ , her heart skipping along happily in her chest. Lena discovering new things was adorable; Lena discovering new things she _liked_ was Kara’s most favorite thing ever. She loved making her friend happy.

After dessert was polished off, a sense of drowsy satisfaction settled over them. They sat, full and content for a while, until Alex declared it was time for Eli’s nap and Kelly got up to clear the table. Lena hastened to help, so Kara reluctantly got to her feet too, kicking Nia—sleeping with her eyes open or deep in thought—under the table to rouse her.

“You with us, Dreamer?” she asked, and Nia started, quickly grabbing random items and carrying them over to the large IKEA bag they used for anything and everything dirty that would need a good scrub and a merry-go-round ride on the dishwasher back home later. Perhaps it was Kara’s imagination, but Nia seemed to be avoiding her gaze and, at the first chance she got, hurried after Alex and Eli, claiming a nap in the tent was just what she needed.

Frowning, Kara looked after her. Well, that was… _odd_? Shrugging, she proceeded to clean the table with a dishrag, got another soda for herself, a ginger ale for Kelly, and a sparkling water for Lena from the cooler, and sat back down, resting her head on her hands to watch Lena read.

Lena was happily sitting there, bag on her lap, looking over some L-Corp papers, the kind of stuff that, frankly, made Kara’s brain hurt. She flipped through a few pages, biting down on her thumb, her brows knitted together in concentration. Kara tried to get a glimpse of what she was working on—complicated graphs, long text with very few paragraph breaks—but upside down it made even less sense, and she didn’t want to distract Lena or break her concentration. It probably was important.

Kara sipped her drink, listening to the radio, and quietly chatted with Kelly about her new job at the clinic, a private practice specializing on care for traumatized patients—humans and aliens alike—which she really loved. Fairly quickly, however, the topic changed to Eli and his gardening and jam-making adventures with Grammy, and Kara laughed heartily, picturing a laughing Eliza, delighted Eli, and frazzled Alex in the kitchen.

“Out like a light,” Alex walked up to Kelly, wrapped her arms around her from behind, and kissed her cheek. She chuckled lightly. “Both of them.”

Kelly took Alex’s hands in hers, lifting one to her lips for a kiss. “Thank you, love.”

_Aww_. Watching her sister and her wife be adorable together always made Kara’s heart swell, ready to burst with joy and happiness for Alex and her little family. Sometimes the happy rush would be followed by small pangs of something not entirely unlike sadness. A kind of longing that, Kara thought, had to be only natural. A refugee on Earth, she had lost everything, everyone: her planet, her people, and her family; and, even though she had a family and friends now that she loved to bits, part of her would always struggle with feeling like she didn’t belong. Sometimes she lost her footing, forgot her place in this world, that was all.

“Oh!” Kelly exclaimed, bringing Kara back to the present as she stood to hurry over to the radio and turned it up. “I love this song!”

She danced in the sand, lightly swinging from side to side, lifting her arms up over her head and twirling on the spot, before she held her hands out for Alex to join her.

The radio circled through a couple fast and slow songs, Kelly and Alex danced, and Kara tapped her foot in time with the music. Lena did not look up from her pages.

Sucking on her lip, Kara’s eyes swung from Kelly and Alex to Lena, and back again. The song changed once more. A relaxed tune came on. Upbeat. Reggae. Something Eliza and Jeremiah would have, once upon a time, danced to barefoot in the garden while she and Alex watched, mortified.

“Hey, Lena?!”

Lena made a low sound in her throat to signal she had heard, but her eyes remained glued to her work.

Kara took a deep breath. “D-dance with me?”

That got her attention; head snapping up, mouth slightly open. “What?”

“Dance with me,” Kara said again, her voice steady this time around, even though she felt her face grow hot. Lena’s cheeks colored too.

Lena swallowed, then burst into laughter, laughing high in her throat. “Really? Oh, I’m sorry, Kara. I—I _don’t_ dance.”

“Not _ever_? Or… just not... with me?” Kara felt her face fall a little, but she wouldn’t give up so easily.

“No, no.” Eyes wide, Lena reached for her across the table, but stopped herself halfway there, her hands flat on the surface. “It’s… I just don’t dance. Ever. With anyone. Not if I can help it, anyway.”

“Is that so?” Kara stood grinning, moved behind Lena, and put her hands on her shoulders and massaged lightly. Lena leaned into her touch, her skin growing warm under it, making the air between them smell somewhat flowery and spicy. Bolstered by the music and the way Lena’s heart rate picked up—her heartbeat loud in Kara’s ears—Kara bent down to whisper in her ear. “What if I told you I _really_ wanted to dance with you? Would you turn _me_ down too?”

Lena took a deep breath through her nose. She opened her mouth, closed it again, pressed her lips together, and shook her head softly.

“Well, come on then, song’s almost over.” Kara purred, delighted when Lena reached back and took one of her hands.

“Your funeral,” she mumbled as Kara led her into the light and the warm sand, closer to where Kelly and Alex were still dancing—but not too close—staying well within earshot of the radio.

Kara started moving, pulling Lena with her. She kept a hold on both her hands to keep Lena from covering her face in embarrassment as her cheeks glowed even brighter, the heat behind them glowing bright red against her pale skin. Kara was pretty sure she’d never seen something more endearing, more beautiful.

“See?” She laughed. “Not that bad, is it?”

“The _worst_.”

No, she didn’t mean it. In spite of her protest, Lena was enjoying this, growing bold enough to move more freely, swinging her hips to the beat. Intertwining her fingers with Kara’s, she smiled—easy and open—and Kara felt a hot hook sink into her middle, the pull so sudden and so strong, she nearly lost her balance and her count.

Oh. _Oh_.

Rao.

The music changed to a slower song, their movements slowing with it, but hearts going in the opposite direction. Kara almost went deaf from listening to them, their joined drums clashing with the music and nearly drowning it out completely. All she could hear was Lena and all she could see was Lena too, enraptured by this glorious beauty dancing right in front of her, dancing _with_ her, her ears and eyes and heart so full it hurt.

Stepping back, she dropped her right arm, letting go of Lena’s left hand, and raised and opened her left, coaxing Lena into an underarm turn. They actually managed to pull it off, but stumbled when meeting again, Kara moving at the same time Lena stepped forward, and they landed in a scrambled hug, entangled, finding themselves in the sand.

Kara—in her miserable attempt to save Lena from the fall—had, somehow, come out on top, in spite of her best intentions.

“Oh God! Hey, uh, Lena?” She spluttered, her arms and legs—no, her whole body—useless jello that wouldn’t budge. “Sorry, I—are you, uh, are you okay?”

Lena blinked up at her, her eyes so dark they were no longer green and her gaze so hot and heavy, Kara could practically feel it latching onto her skin, bringing it to a boil.

“L-Lena?”

Kara swallowed and licked her lips, pressing her palms into the sand on either side of Lena’s head harder. Heat crawled up her spine when Lena’s eyes zeroed in on her mouth. Her chest expanded in a shaky breath, blotches of red blooming on her pale skin like wildflowers, and Kara felt overwhelmed by the sudden urge to shower their pistils in kisses.

Lena opened her mouth, hesitated, waited.

Kara could feel her body heat _everywhere_ from her waist down and swallowed again; swallowed thickly against the heartbeat heavy in her throat. _Oh, Rao, help her_. What were they doing? Even in her wildest dreams she hadn’t dared to _imagine_ —okay, maybe in the wildest of them, she had… shamefully, guiltily, _hopelessly_ —but, but the reality of it?! The reality of coming to terms with _that_ and with _this_ ; coming to terms with the sheer, unfathomable truth of her body pressed to Lena’s, of Lena moving under her—

“Your hair smells nice,” Lena whispered, twirling a strand around her fingers and playing with it. “I like it.” Each breathless word was music sung low in her chest, falling and rising, slipping into a dialect that sung of comfort and safety, love and trust.

Kara couldn’t speak, couldn’t move.

Soft hands on her neck pulled her head down and hot breath parted her lips. When Lena’s lower lip was dragging across them, wordlessly giving permission and begging it, Kara closed the distance. In less than a beat, the crackling spark turned to flame, warm flashing hot, and Kara was kissing Lena and Lena was kissing her back—hungrily, messily, _gloriously_.

Lena tasted sweet like cinnamon. Kissing her felt like burning sunlight, warm and fuzzy, but Kara felt it in her _belly_ first. Getting lost in Lena’s ravenous kisses, letting her explore and claim every inch of Kara she wished, Kara wanted to wrap herself around Lena fully, protectively, relishing how she felt against her, warm and soft, and, oh, so good.

_So, so good_.

Lena let her beachy hands roam freely, leaving tingling trails all across her shoulders and back, rough and soft at once, and Kara deepened the kiss, something raw burning in the center of her chest.

Lena gasped into her mouth with a soft moan, her teeth sinking briefly into Kara’s lip, sending another kind of pleasure zipping through Kara’s body and eliciting sounds from her mouth, she didn’t even know she could make, low and feral, heat burning in her throat and settling in her groin.

She liked how that felt. She liked that Lena liked her _like that_.

Kara cupped Lena’s face—willing to sacrifice anything, everything—and kissed her again, making the kiss long and heavy with the unspoken, dreams and desires fizzling into the sand around them.

( _Ooh-la-la. Fin._ )


End file.
